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RV Travel Newsletter: October 6-12. Issue 554

Learn about RV camping, RV travel, RV news and much more. This newsletter, now in its eleventh year of continuous publication, is funded through sales at RVbookstore.com and voluntary subscription contributions from our readers. Thank you!

Don't get burned with
the wrong RV insurance company!

Explorer RV Insurance offers you more than just standard RV insurance for your RV such as total loss replacement, purchase price guarantees, personal effects coverage, awning replacement coverage, towing and more. Explorer RV Insurance is a full-service agency that has established partnerships with leading carriers bringing you access to a wide range of specialty RV insurance products. Learn more.

WATCH MY 90-SECOND VIDEO GREETING.CLICK THE VIDEO TO THE RIGHT
Recorded Thursday, October 4 as I drove on the New Jersey Turnpike west of Newark.

I'm ready to get back on the road after five days in New York City. The city is way too busy for me. I feel like half my time here has been riding subways.

My arrival from Boston was a nightmare. Stupid me, I chose to trust my GPS to lead me to my RV park in Jersey City, New Jersey, which is right across the Hudson River from New York City. Bad decision! And so ensued one of my worst nightmares -- driving through Manhattan -- and to make matters worse on a Saturday evening when traffic was bumper to bumper! After 90 minutes and a couple of miles of nail biting, I was at the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, where a sign said "No Campers with . . . " and it showed a propane bottle. "Oh, no!" Turning around would require backtracking and probably a few hours more driving, a horrible thought! At that point I was only a mile from my campground!

But there was no place to turn around, so I had no choice but to continue. I figured I'd be greeted by Homeland Security officers at the other end and pay a $500 fine or worse. Yet, once there, nothing happened. Fifteen minutes later I was camped in the quiet Liberty Marina RV Park, where I downed a stiff drink to calm my rattled nerves. Let me go on record saying I do not like driving my RV in big city traffic!

Time and time again on this visit I have wondered "Why does anyone choose to live in New York City?" But, of course, I know why: The city is exciting, and magnificent. Its parks are beautiful, there's theater, music, art, wonderful restaurants and small cafes, incredible museums, shopping like nowhere else, and the people-watching is second to none. And, of course, there are millions of jobs. My daughter Emily, a college student in Manhattan, and I were dining in a restaurant in mid-town when she casually mentioned, "Come back here at 3 a.m. and the sidewalks will still be crowded." New York truly is a city that never sleeps.

Still, I prefer smaller towns. Living with eight million other people is not for me.

I do not have space to write about all the things I saw and did while here -- a ferry ride by the Statue of Liberty, many great meals, strolls through Central Park, and a visit to the aircraft carrier Intrepid (now a giant museum) and, on its deck, the Space Shuttle Enterprise (so much bigger than I ever imagined!). Each morning, I walked by the new Freedom Tower on the site of the former Twin Towers site, 60 stories away from completion but already the highest building in the city.

Now, Thursday morning, I am about to begin my journey west in search of open spaces and eventually my Northwest home on Puget Sound, where the pace of life is slower, the trees taller and the salmon delicious.

•If you have a comment about this essay or this newsletter in general, please feel free to leave it at our forum.

P.P.S. Read what I posted during the last week on Facebook, including a couple of videos.

NEW NEWSLETTER
In mid-November, we will debut a new newsletter -- RV DAILY TIPS. Every Monday through Friday we'll post one valuable tip about RVing and one video tip from a nationally respected RV expert. To sign up, click here. It takes about 30 seconds. And check out our other newsletters while you're there.

Do you have any photos of yourself camping as a child? If so, we'd love to see them to possibly publish them in this newsletter. Be sure to include information about the photo including who is pictured. Email them to me, chuck@rvtravel.com.

Headed to Alaska?Send for the official FREE state travel guide!"Essential planner!"Discover what makes driving North to Alaska so legendary. The roads are open and well maintained. Every route offers countless places to stop along the way to fish, hike, view wildlife, stock-up on sundries, dine, shop, camp and relax. This official guide offers planning suggestions as to where to go, how to get there, what to see, and what to do. Don't travel to Alaska without reading this first. Essential! Get your FREE North to Alaska Travel Guide.

Brazen crooks rolled into Stalkup's RV in Casper, Wyoming at 7 p.m., September 26 and drove away with a 2013 Big Horn fifth wheel. The dealer is offering a $1,000 reward on the $60,000 trailer -- which had just been sold.

Idaho residents can now get discounts on camping in state parks, along with day-use and boat launch fees. The $10 annual Idaho State Parks Passport does this for users. Park officials say sales of the pass will help offset the impact of budget reductions.

Nearly 100 workers at Yosemite National Park have volunteered to answer questions and have their blood tested to learn more about hantavirus, the respiratory infection that has infected some park visitors. One question research may solve: Why have visitors been infected, while park employees have not?

Wyoming's Lower Wind River Campground at Boysen State Park near Shoshoni has reopened after construction work at the park finished. Water supplies at Brannon and Tamarask campgrounds are still listed as "sporadic" while system problems are being fixed.

Some 55,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees will share a $37.5 million settlement in an agreement with 24 RV manufacturers. The settlement is compensation for problems associated with formaldehyde in emergency shelters.

A fisherman on Idaho's Priest Lake was cleaning a fresh-caught trout when he found a human finger inside. Police got a print from the finger and traced it back to Hans Galassi who lost three fingers in a wakeboard accident while camping at the lake two months earlier. Galassi declined having the finger returned to him.

Gas prices are dropping faster than diesel prices. The Department of Energy says gas dropped a little more than two cents a gallon last week, while diesel dropped only seven-tenths of a cent.

Arkansas voters will decide whether to jack the state's existing six-cent sales tax up a half-cent to pay for new state highways and local road improvements.

Several campgrounds in Canada's Banff National Park were closed after a grizzly bear attacked and killed a hiker's dog on September 27. The Jack Russell terrier was leashed when the attack took place. Officials closed Merlin Meadows and Red Deer Lakes campgrounds to be safe.

Hybrid Furnace!AVAILABLE ONLINE FACTORY DIRECT AT A REDUCED PRICE.
With this UL certified RVIA compliant system the RV owner has the option of simply flipping a switch to use either Electric, or Gas as a source to heat their coach along with the manufacturer installed central forced air heating system. Gas or Electric at the flip of a switch. Learn more.

More News

Funds wasted? An audit shows that Los Angeles has paid $2 million to caretakers who live at Camps Valcrest and Radford -- both closed for over a decade. The city also paid $100,000 to have water trucked into Camp Valcrest for the caretaker's use.

Off-season rates in Oregon State Parks get a break: RV and tent sites reduced $4 per night from October 1 through April 30. Some full hookup sites are now as low as $16.

Arizona's Bonita Canyon Campground in the Chiricahua National Monument has reopened after flash flooding in mid-July. Kept closed as a safeguard against monsoon rains, the camp reopened September 21 after the monsoon season ended early.

Double header: Police responding to an RV explosion in an Auburndale, Florida RV park discovered the cause was a fire in a methamphetamine lab. While on scene they caught a whiff of marijuana coming from a nearby RV. An illegal pot farm was found just two sites away.

Town fathers in Dayton, Texas in a region where oil and gas development is coming on strong are considering an ordinance that would allow the construction of RV parks. Currently, RVs are allowed to stay in mobile home parks under tight restrictions.

A judge sentenced a Bismarck, North Dakota man to a year in jail after he drove too fast through a local RV park. The man -- who was angry because a drunken passenger had slapped him -- got his sentence suspended with a year of probation. He was found guilty of reckless endangerment.

GPS maker, Rand McNally, says the latest "bell and whistle" on its newly released RVND 7720 GPS for RVers includes WiFi connectivity that grants real-time weather information. The company says other RV services will soon be available thanks to the new WiFi feature.

On this date in history:October 6

Compiled by Dell Bert

1866: First train robbery in U.S. (Reno Brothers take $13,000).
1882: First World Series game, Cincinnati (AA) beats Chicago (NL) 4-0.
1889: Thomas Edison shows his first motion picture.
1966: LSD is declared illegal in the United States.
1979: John Paul II is first Pope to visit White House.

Potential Roofing Concern
For RVs Built Since 2010Some newer TPO roofing is not compatible with common lap sealants. Using lap sealant on these TPO materials can create cosmetic damage RVers will find undesirable. Dicor Products’ new Ultra Sealant System has been developed to overcome this concern. Find out if your RV could be a concern and get more helpful information on the situation. Learn more.

Dry Flush does away with black water tank
smells, frozen plumbing -- but for a price!
Imagine an RV trip without having to dump black water -- no fooling with holding tank treatments or getting bowled over by "toilet stink" on hot days. Dry Flush replaces a holding tank with a 'waste disposal system' that wraps up the waste after every flush in what almost looks like aluminum foil. After 15 flushes the containerized waste is removed from the toilet. Read more.

Vanity mirror on passenger side of motorhome breaks:
How the "Wanderman" fixed it.
On a recent trip, the Wanderman, Rich Miller noticed that one of the clear plastic "Daisies" that hold the vanity mirror to his passenger side visor had disintegrated. A fix was definitely needed. And to Rich, any "needed fix" is an excuse to get out his tools and get going. Here's what he did in this situation.

How To Hook Up an RV:Do you spray disinfectant on the water faucet? Why you should.Connecting an RV to full hook-ups at a campground isn't hard, but if you've never done it before, this quick tutorial will get you started. Even if you're an RV veteran you might pick up a quick tip or two. For example, do you spray disinfectant on the water spigot before you connect the hose? If not, think about one of the last things you do when disconnecting -- rinse out your sewer hose. Of course that means the RVer who last used the site probably did the same thing! Thought provoking, right? Read more and watch a video.

Important for safe RVing!MONITOR YOUR TIRE PRESSURE!Our commercial grade TIRE MONITORING SYSTEM will help ensure you travel safely without tire failure related peril. Our system is inexpensive, simple to install and fun to use. The National Transportation Safety Board says commercial grade vehicles need tire monitoring systems even more than passenger cars and trucks. We will meet or beat any advertised price on our system! Visit Truck System Technologies (TST) to learn more. Or call 770-889-9102.

More Forest River recalls: Potential gas leak problems
In August we reported on Forest River's motorhome recall for electrical problems. This month the company is calling almost 1,600 more motorhomes back in, this time for a potential gas leak issue. Learn more.

No Shock Zone:Part Nine.
This is a repeat of our 12-part series about basic RV electricity by Mike Sokol. Since we first published this series we have received several letters from readers who said the information saved them from harm. Sadly, others who did not read this have needlessly died. Read this week's episode where Mike sums up what he has covered so far in the series.

Do 5th wheel trailers have a higher
tire failure rate than other RVs?
Owners of heavy fifth wheel trailers seem to have a higher tire failure rate than other RV owners, at least that's what our RV tire safety blogger Roger Marble might conclude from his letters from owners of these RVs. Here's a question Roger received from one owner about increasing the size of his tires from 16 inches to 17.5 inches. Read the article.

Michigan campground offers great view of passing merchant ships
City-owned Aune-Osborn Campground offers great views of Great Lake ships that pass between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. The park lies along 20 acres of waterfront property on the lower St. Mary's River and includes 100 modern water and electric sites. Here's a bird's eye view of the campground and passing ships by David Bott of OutsideOurBubble.com and his flying Quadcopter.

Big sale!Save on 2012 RVers FriendRegularly $14.95. Now only $10.99The 2012 RVer's Friend lists every Travel Center in the U.S. and Canada about 6,600 all together — and what services each provides to RVers. RVers can determine if a travel center welcomes them for an overnight stay, if it has a dump station, if it sells propane, and if it provides Internet access or utility hookups. And much more. Our regular price on this is $14.95, but right now you can get it for only $10.99. Hurry! Learn more or order.

How to inspect your roof for leaks
If you haven't inspected for leaks lately, or are thinking of buying a used RV, a leak check should be on your To Do list. That doesn't mean you should expect leaks, just that your home on wheels comes under a lot more stress than a stationary structure. Leaks can be very insidious — that is, they may not be noticeable until significant damage has been done. Read more.

Unique school bus conversion
Visiting a Walmart in Abilene, Texas, reader Bob Kolquist spotted this unusually equipped school-bus conversion job. He especially liked the fancy wood door, evident wood burning heat system and the specialty motorcycle tote system up front. Check out the photo of this rig.

Caring for RV circuit breakers
When an RV circuit breaker goes on the blink it can be a bit of a mystery for RVers. Here's a short look into the world of these voltage interrupters.

Get rid of your uncomfortable RV mattress!Excel Distributors is a leading manufacturer of RVmattresses, pillows, sheets and mattress protectors for true “home away from home” comfort. All mattresses are designed and made in the USA, in Tualatin, Oregon. Free shipping on all orders. Jump into Fall! $100 off the Adventurer mattress (short queen 60"x74"). EXP 10/31/12 Call 888-691-6801 or visit www.exceldistributors.com. Get rid of that cheap mattress that came with your RV!

This Week's
Reader Survey

If you had no obligations to keep you home and plenty of money, how many days a year would you like to travel with an RV?Answer here.

Last week's question
Generally speaking, does your mood differ on a sunny day vs. a dark, cloudy one?Read the survey results.

Bella Terra of Gulf Shores Phase 3 ready October 2012Bella Terra of Gulf Shores, one of the nation's top rated luxury RV resorts has broken ground on the third and final phase of the Class A only resort in Foley, Alabama. Lot owners who purchase before the October opening are able to customize their lots like never before including adding outdoor kitchens, gazebos, custom paver drives, and much more. The resort will be hosting three Open House weekends this Fall with resort tours, free entertainment, and special social events. Find out more by calling (866) 417-2416 or by visiting their website at www.BellaTerraRVresort.com.

Latest fuel pricesHere are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel. Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.78 (on October 5) Change from week before: Down 1 centDiesel: U.S. $4.07 (on October 1) Change from week before: Down 1 cent

Essential for owners of large RVs!2012 Big Rigs
Best Bets Campground DirectoryIf you drive a king-sized RV, this directory is for you. The authors provide details about RV parks in 49 states and seven Canadian provinces that welcome long RVs. All parks personally visited by the authors, who even recommend best sites in each one plus nearby attractions. A must for big rig owners. Learn more or order.

Learn all about your RV's 120-volt electrical system in Gary's eBook The RV Doctor's Technical Guide to RV Electrical Systems. Order now and be reading it a few minutes later.

RV batteries leaking electrolyte. What to do?
Dear Gary,

I have a 2002, 31-foot Jayco. Why is my battery bank leaking acid? I have two batteries and two solar panels with a PWM charge controller. When we bought it, it was hooked up to power, now we keep it stored. One battery was leaking in the first two months so we replaced both batteries. Now a month later, it's leaking again. The only power we see on the fifth-wheel is a clock on an entertainment center which we can't power off, and a green light on the LP gas detector. We also found a horizontal crack on the side of the wall half way up above the hitch about 8-inches long and 1/8-inch or less wide. Can this cause internal water damage? Should I patch it? --Lisa, (Naples, FL)

Learn how to drive a motorhome the right and safe way from RVer/tour bus driver Lorrin Walsh. In this 67-minute DVD, you'll learn how to confidently drive a motorhome. This should be essential viewing for novice motorhome drivers, but even experienced RVers will benefit. Now save 12%. Learn more or order.

Dear R.V. Shrink:
Recently we arrived at a National Park campground and found it completely full. It was a Monday afternoon. This late in the season just after the weekend, seemed like an odd time for a rather remote campground to be full. I was ready to leave to find another campground, but my wife insisted on further investigation. When she returned from a stroll around the campground she said several sites were "marked" suspiciously to imply they were reserved. Not one to enjoy any conflict, I suggested we just leave. My wife did not agree. She did another loop around the campground, found a post receipt not properly filled out and backed me into the site. No one ever challenged us, but the chair marking the site went missing in the dark of night. Read more and the Shrink's response.

Published in 2012!Guide to Free CampgroundsThe 2012 edition of Guide to Free Campgrounds contains more than 12,000 public campgrounds across the USA, including those in national forests & national parks, & on lands of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) & at Corps of Engineers lakes -- all with camping fees of $12 or less per night! This is one of RVbookstore.com's all time best sellers. Learn more or order.

Essential if you travel with a dogDog Friendly's Campground and Park GuideThis is a jam-packed, well-researched directory of campgrounds, filled with detailed information, about where you can camp with a dog in the USA and Canada.Learn more or order.

Readers camping photos from yesteryear
We received this photo from Connie Hatch of Hurricane, Utah who wrote: "Growing up in our very small town of Edon, Ohio, we never got a chance to go camping. So what we did was throw one of Mom's cotton sheets over the clothesline and pound wooden clothes pins through the corners of the sheets, into the ground to keep it taut. Mom wasn't too happy when they made large holes in her sheets. We later had to use small rocks as weights instead of the clothes pins. This photo shows me and my three younger siblings and two cousins having a picnic. In the evening we would bring out a blanket and pillow and spend the night. This photo was taken about 1954."

Best Seller!

RV Buyers Survival GuideRV sales manager Bob Randall explains how to buy an RV including how to negotiate with a dealer, the most important part of the best-selling book. Now in its third edition, this essential guide is one of RVbookstore.com's top best sellers. Don't buy an RV without reading this. Good stuff! Learn more or order.

In our Reader Forum

Discount Camping Clubs: All comments are negative
The list of dissatisfied customers who joined the RV Super Pages or the Ultimate RV camping clubs continues to grow. Both "clubs" are advertised heavily on the Web and promise half price camping. We have yet to see one positive comment from RVtravel.com readers about either club. Based on this response, we urge RVers considering a membership to read these comments first.

2012 EDITIONTravelers Guide To
The Firearm Laws of the 50 StatesRVers who travel with a firearm may not know that what's legal in their home state may be a felony in another. This 2012 book explains current, specific gun laws for every state. Don't cross a state line with a gun without knowing the laws. Learn more or order.

Joke of the week
The sons of a lawyer, doctor and minister were talking about how much money their father's made.
The lawyer's son said, "My father goes to court and often comes home with as much as $10,000."
The doctor's son said, "My father performs an operation and earns $20,000 for it."
The minister's son, determined not to be undone said, "That's nothing. My father preaches for just 20 minutes on Sunday and it takes four men just to carry the money."

Fresh water hose
"When done with your fresh water hose, coil it up and screw the ends together tightly to keep out bugs and dirt while it is stored. Flush it thoroughly before use."From Trailers Made Easy.

eBOOKS!INSTANT READING ABOUT RVing!With eBooks you don't have to wait to read your book. Just place your order and your eBook will be delivered almost instantly to your email inbox. There's no shipping or handling and no tax to pay, making these a bargain over printed books. These eBooks are written by RV experts and delivered in PDF format. Check out the big selection of eBooks at RVbookstore.com. Browse the RVbookstore.com eBook department.

Tech Tips from Mark Polk

Get a sneak peek of 2013 model RVs
The October edition of my RV Consumer Magazine provides exclusive coverage of 2013 model year RVs. While attending America’s largest RV show in Hershey, Pennsylvania I focused on new RV trends and RV models that RVers can expect to see in the next camping season. Take a sneak peek into the world of RVs for 2013.

Learn more about RV repair and maintenance from Mark's books, eBooks and DVDs, available -- most at a discount -- at RVbookstore.com.

Just Published!Retire to an RV:The Roadmap to Affordable RetirementAre you considering the RV lifestyle? Is it for you? Can you afford to retire AND travel 365 days a year? Retire to an RV provides you with the information to help you make that decision. Learn more or order.

RV Short Stops

Piper Aircraft MuseumLock Haven, Pennsylvania

If there is one aircraft that's most beloved, it's the Piper Cub. It's a lightweight, slow-flying two seater that was to early aviators what the Model T was to early motorists -- freedom for a bargain price. When other small planes were selling for $30,000 to $40,000, a Piper Cub could be yours for $1,395. William T. Piper, who bought the fledging company in 1930 for $761, is commonly called the Henry Ford of aviation. The company boomed at the start of World War II: four out of five American pilots received their initial flight training in Cubs. Today, you can learn all about Piper and his planes at the Piper Aircraft Museum in Lock Haven. It's the same building where Piper worked years before. Several planes are displayed including a Piper J-3 Cub, the official airplane of the state of Pennsylvania. The gift shop has a good selection of T-shirts. Admission is $6, less for seniors and kids. Learn more including operating hours by visiting the museum website. There's plenty of parking space for RVs. --Chuck Woodbury

Roadwork II: The RVers Ultimate Income Resource GuideRVers looking to earn an income on the road, either full - or part-time, will find this book a terrific resource.Learn about jobs, workamper employers, and meet workampers who tell about their lives. Virtually every type of job is profiled in this great guide.Learn more or order.

Bumper Sticker of the week
"Honk if parts fall off."Have you seen a funny bumper sticker? Send it to chuck(at)rvtravel.com

Save $4.95 on Wal-Mart guides!GET THE POCKET GUIDE FOR FREEHere are two great guides to Wal-Mart stores -- the "Wal-Mart Atlas" (Second edition, published 2011) and the "Wherezitat? Locate A Wal-Mart Pocket Guide" (includes stores that DO NOT allow overnight stays). You get the Wherezitat guide for FREE with the purchase of the Atlas, packaged together to save you $4.95 over purchasing separately. Get both guides for only $24.95, a $29.90 value! Learn more or order.

The RV Kitchen

Artichokes au Gratin
If you’re always searching for side dishes to go with meat from the grill, here’s one that’s a snap to slip into a baking dish, yet it’s not the same-old, same-old. It’s something different for potlucks too. Get the recipe.

Trivia
The highest documented flying bird is the Ruppell's griffon which collided with an airliner in 1973 at 37,000 feet.

Visit the RVtravel.comClassified sectionWe have added an extensive classified section to RVtravel.com in partnership with RVtrader.com. Look for the link to it at the top of every page on RVtravel.com in the blue bar. There are generally about 80,000 listings. Search by type of RV, location, price range or keyword. You will not find a larger selection of RVs for sale anywhere.

Random RV Thought
A good thing about RVing over staying in hotels is that if you go out to dinner you can bring the leftovers "home," put them in the fridge, then eat (reheat if necessary) later.

SPECIALS & CLOSEOUTS!Save more than 80%
On Books and DVDs at RVbookstore.comCLICK HERE

Worth Pondering
"Happiness is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day." --Benjamin Franklin

The cash prize is now $180.00 Each weekday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Pacific time) we publish a randomly selected U.S. Zip Code. If you live there and are the first to tell us, you win the money which increases every day there's no winner. Certain rules apply.

Last week's Zip Codes: 29208, not available (link down), 76039, 41168, 11594Advertise in
this newsletter. . .
. . . and on our several dozen other websites and blogs. If you have a business or represent one with a product or service aimed at RVers, you should check this out.

"Like" RV Travel on FacebookDon't wait until Saturday for your next dose of RV Travel. Join us on Facebook for breaking news, valuable RVing information and advice -- some that never appears in this newsletter. "Like Us."

About the RVtravel.com editorChuck Woodbury has explored America by RV for nearly three decades. In the '90s he published the quirky travel newspaperOut West, and he was an "on the road" writer for the New York Times Syndicate. His RVing adventures have been profiled on ABC News, CNN, NBC's Today Show, and in People Magazine, USA Today and in hundreds of newspapers. Nowadays, he lives near Seattle where he drinks massive amounts of coffee and travels often in his motorhome and sometimes by plane when vast expanses of saltwater would turn his RV into a leaky submarine. He is the host of the Better Business Bureau DVD "Buying a Recreational Vehicle," the definitive guide to purchasing an RV the right way.

If you enjoy and appreciate this newsletter and would like to help it continue by making a voluntary subscription contribution, we invite you to do so here. It will be appreciated very much.

Everything in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we occasionally get something wrong. We're just human! So don't go spending $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. So be sure to check things out. At RVbookstore.com we strive for excellence in all we do. Our customers receive super fast service. Our motto is "You need it so we speed it™," and no truer words were ever spoken!

All information on this website is copyrighted by RVtravel.com. Our offices are located at 170 W. Dayton Street, Suite 103-B, Edmonds WA 98020. Write editor Chuck Woodbury at Chuck(at)RVtravel.com. Information about advertising in this newsletter and on our other websites and blogs is available at RVtravelAdvertising.com or by calling 425-744-0415 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays (Pacific time).

This website utilizes some advertising services. Sometimes we are paid if you click one of those links and purchase a product or service. Regardless of this potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers.